Three faculty members and approximately 25 students will embark on a journey to learn about philosophy and the life of C.S. Lewis as they travel to London, Oxford and Paris May 18-26.

“We wanted to offer a unique, one-of-a-kind tour to accentuate the excitement of traveling abroad, studying where philosophy and humanities intersects powerfully with our own lives and cultures, and focusing on such a key Christian thinker as C.S. Lewis,” Dr. Edward Martin, co-chair of philosophy, said.

Martin and Dr. Michael Babcock, professor of humanities, started planning this trip in summer 2013. According to Martin, they considered how to incorporate the studies of philosophy and humanities in an impactful way.

They will spend four days in London and Oxford and three days in Paris, according to Martin. Some anticipated destinations include Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the British Library and Versailles.

Although they originally planned to travel only to London and Paris, Martin said they decided to incorporate places where bestselling author C. S. Lewis lived and worked so students can gain a valuable experience while learning about an influential Christian philosopher and apologist.

According to Martin, learning about famous people and events from history will serve as motivation to learn from the past and see God’s sovereign plan throughout history.

“The Lord still reigns and through studying the past thoughts, times and places,” Martin said. “As Lewis wrote, ‘No doubt all history in the last resort must be held by Christians to be a story with a divine plot.’”

According to Babcock, they will tour places associated with his everyday life, such as his home, the college where he taught classes and the pub where he met with J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as his gravesite.

Martin said this tour relates to the recently added Philosophy 465 class, which focuses on Lewis’s life. For students who took or plan to take this course, the trip provides valuable hands-on experiences.

In addition to learning about Lewis, the tour allows students to explore landmarks and gain a deeper understanding of the culture by immersion, according to Babcock.

“We will be immersing ourselves in the rich cultural legacy of three great cities — London, Oxford and Paris,” Babcock said. “Students will have the opportunity to learn by seeing and experiencing, not just reading about things in a book.”

This trip not only provides learning opportunities, but students who attend have the opportunity to earn course credit as well. According to Martin, students will fulfill the course requirements for humanities 101, philosophy 201 or philosophy 497/597 through the tour. He hopes that the trip will impact students’ lives in a powerful way.

“Being in the same places and spaces as famous historical people and events allows us to reflect on these events and key figures within them,” Martin said. “(This will) challenge our students and ourselves to learn history’s lessons and ultimately to go on to achieve great things for the Lord in our lives.”

Students interested in attending this study tour should contact Babcock at mbabcock@liberty.edu for more information.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/03/trip-planned/feed/0Students attend a meeting about the spring London and Paris triphttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/01/students-attend-a-meeting-about-the-spring-london-and-paris-trip/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/01/students-attend-a-meeting-about-the-spring-london-and-paris-trip/#commentsTue, 28 Jan 2014 19:56:09 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=24386Continue reading]]>The Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Department of Liberty University is introducing students to the fashion capital of the world with a springtime trip to Paris and London.
According to Ruth Gomes, assistant professor in the FACS department, this trip has two main areas of focus, the architecture and the fashion. The architecture fulfills the interior design part of the course, and the visit to Paris will teach about the intricacies of fashion.

In Paris, the group will have the opportunity to visit the Victoria Albert Museum where historic wedding dresses will be on display. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s website, this display will trace the history of wedding dresses through the last two centuries.

Another museum that will be a draw for the fashion students is Palais Galliera Museum de Mode. According to Gomes, this museum will have a display of original fashion photography, and it is known to have one of the largest collections of fashion items.

A few of the architecturally focused places that the group will visit include St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of Versailles and the Decorative Arts Museum, where students will see rooms made and decorated for a specific period. The display starts in medieval times and work its way through history to the present, according to Gomes. Within these rooms, students will see furniture, decorations and pieces of architecture that reflect a specific time period.

While the FACS department is hosting this trip, anyone within the Liberty community, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, can join, according to Gomes.

“The fashion aspects are usually for the females,” Gomes said. “But it is a draw for those who want to see the wonders of the world.”

For those interested in graphics, there is a museum with a section specifically for graphic design, and for those interested in the history of war, there is an opportunity to see a display of swords, armory and uniforms from past battles, according to Gomes.

This will be the fourth year that the FACS Department has hosted a trip to Europe.

“Every year is different,” Gomes said. “This year is more focused on London. Last time, it was Italy. It is never the same.”

Along with the stops and attractions that add to the class credit, Gomes said that there will be a little time to explore and shop apart from the group. In this free time, the group can visit sites such as Stonehenge and the Eiffel Tower, take boat tours through London